Machine for manufacturing tubing.



M. B. LLOYD.

MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING TUBING.

APPLIGATION FILED APR. 6, 1912.

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

-M. B. LLOYD. MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING TUBING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1912.

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H W Q UNITED STATES PATENT curios.

MARSHALL norms mom or MENOMINEE,

men or 01110.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, MARSHALL BnnNs LLOYD,- a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Menominee, Menominee county, Michigan, I ful, and Improved Machinegfor Manufactur ing Tubing, of which clear, and exact description, such'as wable others to make and use the same. My invention relates to improvements mac adapted to draw successive lengths 'of tubingv ina continuous non-intermittent manner, i. (2., without stopping and also without reversal of any of its principal parts.

A special object of the invention is to provide a machine which shallbe adapted to continuously draw a fiat strip of metal. from a reel or bundle and form the same into serially connected yet distinguishable lengths of tubing. 1

My invention consists-in a. machine having the wherein these objects are attained; all as hereinafter described and particularly point ed out inthe claims. My invention. will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a'preferred form Y chiefly adapted thereof. 1 I

In these-drawings, which form a part of this specification; Figure. 1 is a side elevation of my novel machine for manufactum ing tubing; Fig.

Fig. 3 shows the product 'of the machinea depicting one complete section and two partial sections, or lengths, interconnected therewith; Fig. 4 is an enlarged side-elevation of one of the clampingaws or drawheads of the machine; and Fig. '5 is a sec-- tional view of the draw-head on the line XX of Fig. 4:.

I desire it to vention drawing be understood that ining, its greatest value b working'elements of the machine are pref- Specification of Letters Patent.

have invented a certain new, -usethe following is a r es formanufacturing metal tubmg,. and the primaryobject of jthe invention to provide a draw bench. which shall be rolled or bent 'tr above outlin d characteristics and 2 is a plan view thereof;

may be used for making and for other articles besides tubing, but is.

to the manufacture oftubw eing in thatzart. The-3 MICHIGAN, AssIGNon, BY mns m AssIGiN v mnnrs, TO THE ELYRIA mom & STEEL coMrANY, or ELYRIA, 01110,. aoonrona- MACHINE FOR'MANUFACTURING TUBING.

Batented Jan. 12, 1915;

Application med AprilG, 1912. Serial1101689396.

At the end of the frame, adjacent to the 'bed2, one end of which may bear a reel su I reel, I, arrange'suitable'forming dies, asthe.

otary dies '5 nd-the d1c,6..,,' hes di s m y bee any of the well the tubeits final; cross-sectional-shape. conslderable forceis required to draw the lmown forms. Theyfareso constructedand operate in imannerfthati. .flat 'strlp T n passing thro stationary finishing.

hQOI'iglllfillY- the-dies is. 'c yfiint tubular form. The final dies, whatever their nature,- operate to close the edges of'thej strip to-. gether, usually; in" butt relation. v It is obvious also thattheyfinal dies, die 6,;g ive.

strip through these dies. The work ofdraw ng the strip could be-done byan ordi-f'w nary draw bench of the same length as' the.

pose isto utilizestrips'T of great length strip which is wound v on .the reel. -My purand. finding it impractical to construct a draw bench of such length I have 'devised the continuous mechanism herein shown.

standard or commercial lengths H I so Tubes of this kindare usually $334 in construct my machine as to adapt-it 0 act continuously onthe strip and jyet'.';measure" 011' and mark the resultant tubing in sec-,

tions or lengths corresponding to commer-I 'cia-l standards. Onthe frame 2 are two setsof bearings 7 and. 8. In these I place heavy shafts heavy 9and 10 and equip. these shafts with carry an. endless chain- '13 of suflicient strength-to exert'the necessary pull on the tubing. I have notjffully shown the means for driving the sprockets and endlesschain but the drivingmechanism is indicated'by an extension of the shaft '10and by a driving pulley 1 thereon. The endless-chain or belt carries three or more draw-heads or clamps. These are spaced-at equal distances upon the belt-0r chain. They-are all- 0f one form. The endless chain travels in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1

sprockets 11 and 112. The sprockets and the upper stretch thereon constitutes erably mounted on a long rigid frame, orthe; active'or working portion of the drawbench. It is obvious that the draw-heads successively move from a point adjacent to.

of the endless belt. These dogs, as hereinafter described, serve to. Operate the clamping members of the draweheads automatically as they travel above the two sprockets.

'Referringto Figs. 4 and '5 it will be seen that each draw-head 15 is provided with depending .webs 15 secured to the underlying link or links of the endless belt. The upper portion of the draw-head is in the form of a rectangular block having a groove 16in its upper side. The groove extends longitudinally and is of a suflicient width to admit the tube T. "The bottom of the groove 16 may be curved, as indicated by the dotted line 16 in Fig. 4, to avoid con-' tact with the tube at the time that the drawhead rises and begins to move forward over the sprocket-11. Within the block or head 15 is a movable gib 17 adapted to slide Such movement of transversely therein.

. the block compresses or flattens the portion 'of the tube which lies within theblock' and this compression or clamping of'the tube is relied uponto positively attach the head to the tube.

I end of the head and which bears against the movable gib 17. The screw is operated by Y the ntoment that a draw-head rises and starts to move forward over the sprocket open p0si-.

" Various devices may be employed for au- I tomatically actuating the gibs-or clamping 4 members of the heads. A simple mechanismis-shown in Figs. 4 and 5. This mechanism comprises a screw that is threaded in the a cross bar 19 on its outer end, the arrangement being such that a quarter turn of the bar 19 serves to thrust the gib into clamping position. A quarterfturn in the other direction serves to returnor open the clamp.

The operating bars of the clamps are arranged upon that side of the chain Wind) is next to the dogs 7 and 8. As is best shown in Fig. 2, the upper ends of the dogs 7' and 8 extend-inwardly and cross the paths of the upper and lower ends of actuating levers 19 of the draw heads. At

11 its 1 ,ver 19 stands in the tion initiated in Fig. 1 and at the moment that the draw-head passes the sprocket 11' the upper end of its lever 19 strikes against the dog 7 Thevdog being stationary causes the upper end of the lever to move back as the head moves forward and the rotation thus imparted to the screw- 18 drives the the 'the belt is caused to free the tubing. This is doneby the engagement of the lower end of its lever 19 with the dog 8'. It will be observed that each head is thus unclamped from the tube. before it starts downward around the sprocket 12. Danger of distorting the tube is thus avoided. A particular advantage of the-described arrangement of draw-heads and actuating dogs is that the head which is approaching the discharge end of-the bench does not release its hold upon the tube until the next succeeding draw-head has been clamped to the tube, and no draw-head is freed from the tube until the head which follows has'taken up the load or work of drawing the tubing through the dies. The distance between the heads upon the endless belt equals the standard length of a commercial tube. As each Having thus described my invention, ll.

claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent: r

1. A tube-drawing machine comprising a frame, in combination with a reel standard at. the end of the frame, a die mounted on that end of the frame to receive'material ment with and movable away from said die,

mechanism for continuously driving said carrier, a plurality of clamping members at intervals on said carrier, means at the die end of the frame for. automatically closing the clamp of .said members upon'the product of said die, and means near the opposite end of said carrier for automatically releasing said clamps from said product.

2. A tube-drawing machine comprising a from a reel on said standard, a single-end- .less carrier having its active stretch in Mineand terminating at a point morethan the length "of a" connnercial tube therefrom,

means adapted to actuate each clamping device automatically by the. movement of said devices and tooperate to clamp each device.

to the tube at the beginning of said active travel and to free the tube at a-point near the end of said travel.

3. In a device of the class described a frame, in combination with parallel shafts journaled thereon at points more than a tube length apart, a sprocket wheel on each shaft, means for driving one of said sprocket wheels, a sprocket chain mounted on-said wheels, three clamps spaced upon and about said chain, an actuating device on each.

clamp for closing and opening the same and fixed stops'on the frame to engage each actuating device and close-itsrespective clamp at the beginning of its active travel and open the clamp atfthe end ,of its active.

travel. g

4. In a tube-drawing machine the combination of a frame having a'forming die mounted on one end'thereof, material supplying means adjacentthereto, with automatically operable and continuously movable drawing mech anism mounted on the said frame, said drawing mechanism comprising a pair of sprocket Wheels mounted on opposite ends of the frame in the same vertical plane, a chain mounted on said wheels to travel thereon, means to drive one of, said wheels, a, regularly spaced series of tractor gripping devicessecuredto said belt, said devices being so spaced that '.there is always a gripping-device on the side which moves away from the die end'of the frame, the gripping device'on said side being-in operating alinement with the opening in the die, and automatic means controlling engagement of said tractor devices for grip ping the material at standard commercial lengths and drawing it from the die.

5. In a metal-drawing machine thecombination of a frame or bench havingmaterial supplying means at one-end thereof and a forming die mounted on the said end with automatically operableand continuously movable feeding mechanism mounted on the said frame, said mechanism comprising a sprocket gear and chain mechanism extending from a point adjacent to. the die to the opposite end of the frame, the upper side of said chain being substantially in alinement with the die, means to drive said mechanism to move the upper side of the chain away from said die, a draw-clamp on the chain adapted to receive and to grip the formed material, a lever on said clamp arranged to close the clamp when turned one way and to open the clamp when turned the opposite Way, stationary means fixed at )he end of the said mechanism which is nearest to the die and ad acent to one s de of the path of the clamp to engage said lever to turn it to close the clamp as it passes away 1 from the die and other stationary means at the opposite end of the mechanism and adjacent to the other side of the path-of the clamp to engage saidlever as the clamp passes and While it is still moving in alinement with and away from the die to turn said lever to open Send clamp.

6. In a device of the class described, a tractor clamp mounted on a moving support, said clamp comprising a frame or head I having a slot therein adapted to receive an object to be drawn and a lateral perforation in said frame extending from the said slot through the side of the frame, the outer end of said perforation being threaded, a plunger or gib reciprocally mounted in the inner end of said' perforation and arranged to engage the said object to clamp it securely in the frame, and a screw fitting in the threaded outer end of saidperforation and engaging the outer end of said gib, means on the outer end of the screwextending oppositely 7 and transversely of the direction of move- 1 ment of said clamp, and suitably positioned dogs spaced apart and mounted beside the path of said clamp to alternately engage the oppositely extending ends respectively of said transversely extending means, to close and open said clamp as it successively moves past the said dogs. I

7. In a device of the class described, a tractor clamp mounted upon a moving support, said clamp comprising a head portion having-a slot therein adapted-to receive an object. to be drawn, a movable member in said head mounted for bodily parallel mgvement into and-away from said slot, means for automatically moving said member into the slot as the tractor member passes a definite point, and means for releasing the 'clamping force when the tractor clamp passes another definite, point.

8. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a single endless chain, spaced bearings and' sprocket wheels thereon for supporting the chain, tube-forming mechanism adjacent one end. thereof, a plurality of clamps mounted on said chain and spaced a tubes length apart thereon, said 115 clamps adapted successively to straddle the tubing as they move from their lowest to at a, eemein poinfin said? path eml agmg: set my new this 11th day of March, 1912,

the clamp as it passes thereby and servifig in the pres-of twosubscribing Witnesses;v

to force the movable block into clempin g A V position, and other means at another poixfi I k A SH L 5 for engaging the clamp and. opening same Witnesses:

as it moves by said means. HILDA C. 1 E SON In testimony whereof, I have hereunto CEs GILBERT I'iA WILEY. 

